Courtney Martin argues that we can’t keep training the public to think in black and white terms about a very gray war:
As President Barack Obama and his team deliberate about the best way forward in Afghanistan, they are compelled to incorporate a variety of voices on the subject. Military leaders advocate for an increase in troops — 40,000 strong — to continue the work that was started there nearly eight years ago. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan argues, “The situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort.” Peace activists argue passionately for the opposite, citing the variety of costs — economic, ethical, in human lives. Jodie Evans, co-founder of Code Pink, writes, “It will take the women of the world to rise up and say militarism is not working.”
